The Clinical Scientist Training Program (CSTP) for Medical Students is a 5-year scholarship program designed to prepare outstanding medical students for a career in academic medicine and clinical investigation by providing them with opportunities to learn and practice clinical research skills during medical school.
Through the CSTP, students can pursue a Certificate in Clinical Research or a Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Research. Both the certificate and the MS require an additional year of matriculation, usually taken between the third and fourth year of medical school. The main difference between the certificate and the MS program is that the MS program requires completion of 15 additional units and a thesis. The program has three main components: a longitudinal seminar, mentored research, and courses in clinical research methods.
Longitudinal Seminar. Throughout all years except MS-III, students attend a weekly seminar covering topics such as research ethics, career paths in clinical investigation, the nomenclature of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) application process, and the students' research in progress.
Mentored Research. All students conduct full-time mentored clinical research with a federally funded investigator during the summer between MS-I and MS-II and for 12 months between MS-III and MS-IV. The ultimate goals are for students to complete their research, present one or more abstracts at regional or national meetings, and convert these abstracts into manuscripts for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Courses in Clinical Research Methods. Students work with the associate program director to develop a plan of study to complete 15 credits for a certificate or 30 credits for an MS. The coursework is completed during the CSTP year between MS-III and MS-IV and during research elective rotation months during MS-IV.
Scholarship. The CSTP scholarship covers $25,000 per year towards medical school tuition in MS-I, MS-II, MS-III, and MS-IV and 100% of the Certificate or Master of Science tuition the research year (between MS-III and MS-IV); additionally, students are guaranteed a minimum of $10,000 is living stipend during the research year.
To see how medical school and CSTP activities intertwine, click here. Because the recruitment and training of clinician-researchers is such a high priority at the current time, the NIH has implemented a loan forgiveness program for doctors who commit to a career in clinical research.
